Science Codex, September 7, 2016: Summer Learning Programs Can Benefit Low-Income Students, Study Finds

“‘Until now, we didn't know if urban school districts could offer high-quality summer learning programs for low-income students and whether they would make a difference for children,’ said Will Miller, president of The Wallace Foundation. ‘We have learned two important things: That high-quality summer learning programs are capable of helping disadvantaged students succeed in school, and that high attendance is crucial to delivering these benefits.’ Because nearly 80 percent of students with high levels of attendance in 2014 also were high attenders in 2013, it is not clear whether the broader positive outcomes for high attenders after the second summer are the result of cumulative attendance over both summers or program improvements in the second summer, and researchers concluded outcomes likely reflected a combination of both.”